


A Matter of Fate

by KayKitten



Category: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra | Phantom of the Opera & Related Fandoms, Le Fantôme de l'Opéra | Phantom of the Opera - Gaston Leroux, Phantom of the Opera - Lloyd Webber
Genre: Alternate Universe - Office, Christine-centric, F/M, Fluff and Angst, This is is full of feels
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:22:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28246872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KayKitten/pseuds/KayKitten
Summary: Christine has recently become an intern at the Dubois architectural firm where she has an unfortunate yet fateful meeting with a famous musician turned architect who happens to own the company.
Relationships: Christine Daaé/Erik | Phantom of the Opera, Sorelli/Nadir
Comments: 14
Kudos: 27





	1. A Misfortunate Meeting

Parties. A cacophony of sweaty bodies pressed up together in overpriced attire in various states of losing their inhibitions to alcohol. Personally, Christine Daaé had never cared for parties. She would much rather remain at home curled up watching TV but unfortunately her friends were rather vivacious people.

“Remind me why I agreed to come with you?” she implored as she pulled her black shawl tighter around her shoulders.

“Because otherwise you would be cooped up at home. It's New Year's Chris, lighten up a bit?” Sorelli encouraged and Meg nodded in agreement hastily.

Christine felt her eyes roll with indignation, but it was too late to back out now that they were here. Of course, Sorelli would be the one dragging them to her work's New Year's party. Unlike Christine, Sorelli thrived in a party. Even from outside the hotel venue, the throb of a bass radiated from the room. The doors opened and the three women made their way into the throng of people. Tables orbited a dance floor set up in the centre of the room and a band played relentlessly at the other end of the room. They found a seat before Meg and Sorelli wandered off to abuse the open bar leaving Christine vulnerable to the threat of social interaction. Just when she could spot her friends returning, two men approached her. The smaller one swayed slightly from one too many drinks and the other looked out of place with a black mask obscuring his whole face.

“Look here Erik-” the shorter man with broad shoulders and tanned skin pointed at Christine.

She felt her palms grow clammy and her pulse increase.

Before anything else could be done, Sorelli swooped in to save her although her real intentions lay with flirting with Nadir, “Nadir! It's lovely to see you, I see you've brought lanky bones with you.” she gestured towards the taller man who did admittedly seem more of a skeleton than a man, “Christine this is Nadir and Erik, they're my colleagues. Watch out for old creepy Mr Skeleton!” she joked, however Erik did not seem to find it so amusing and he stalked off to blend in with the shadows elsewhere.

Christine winced at Sorelli's crude joke but Nadir found it funny; at least as he chuckled pleasantly, “I apologize on behalf of my companion. He didn't want to come here tonight.”

Sorelli's face lit up, “Neither did Christine! Oh Nadir wouldn't it be funny if we played a game of matchm-”

Christine didn't let Sorelli even finish that sentence, “No. No nononononono. No!” she insisted causing both Nadir and Sorelli to laugh.

“Erik does not bite although he does sometimes try to be threatening. He's as harmless as a puppy, I assure you.” Nadir tried to persuade her however she was stubborn.

“I'm sure he's a great guy and all but I'm not really looking for someone at the moment. Thank you anyway.”

He shrugged and wrapped an arm around Sorelli's waist to pull her closer towards him. Blood rushed to Christine's cheeks and she took this as a subtle signal to leave them to it.

“It was nice to meet you.” Christine said a little bit too politely as she moved away. She felt rather sorry for the Erik. Sorelli was rather blunt at times and his friend Nadir seemed to have a similar air about him. Not that it detracted from his personality. Like Sorelli, Nadir was a people magnet – people simply gravitated towards them.

The evening passed with no other incidents, Christine stayed exclusively with Meg to avoid another catastrophe. Although her mind kept replaying the catastrophic introduction between herself and Sorelli's colleagues earlier that evening. Gradually, the tension in the room grew as time passed. Everyone was eyeing up everyone for that traditional kiss at midnight. By the time the countdown began, Christine had resigned to sulking in a corner to escape from Meg and Sorelli's attempts to get her to kiss someone. She stumbled backwards over her own feet into what she thought was the wall. Unfortunately, fate was not on her side tonight. She had fallen into a man whose quick reflexes had saved her from tumbling over completely. Christine felt long skeletal fingers digging in around her waist and she gazed down. In comparison to her vibrant red dress, the grey skin that stretched over his fingers was jarring. Suddenly, the cheers and claps of everyone roared through the small venue. It was midnight. She gazed upwards at the man she had so recklessly fallen into to see a pair of amber eyes locked onto her blue ones.

“I'm so sorry! This is a terrible start to the year! Will a kiss make it up to you? It is customary after all.” she offered despite the fact her face now matched the shade of her dress.

His trembling hands retracted from her waist and he drew into himself before he regained his composure (for a moment the little woman had intoxicated him more than any wine could) but he could not go down that path again; it never ended well for either party.

“No. I do not want a kiss. If I wanted a kiss I would have asked someone who is actually pretty. Be more careful where you walk next time. It's incredibly rude to walk into people, you know?” he sneered before sauntering off, as soon as he was at the other end of the room he collapsed into a ball in the corner. He wasn't sure what stroke of genius inspired him to get so damn defensive, guilt soon ensued when he realised he'd called that poor woman ugly. But before he could apologize, Christine ran off to Meg and Sorelli with glazed eyes.

Erik could only watch as her bottom lip quivered and eventually she burst into tears so she was whisked away by her friends.

Later, once they were back at their flat, the two older women were desperately trying to console the over-emotional Christine who was still a sobbing wreck from her failed social interaction.

“So let me get this straight, you walked into Erik Dubois – the owner of the company we work for, a billionaire and famous musician? And he called you ugly?” Meg was bemused to say the least.

“Y-yes... Meg you're not helping!” Christine sniffled as Sorelli handed her another tissue.

“Chris, it's okay. He's a real scumbag, I don't know why he even came to that party. He's such a damn recluse and none of his workers actually like him.” Sorelli chipped in.

“Yeah, don't take it personally. He's rude to everyone.” Meg continued, “Christine you need to grow a thicker skin if something like this made you cry.”  
“It's not me I'm crying for... I just feel guilty... First Sorelli humiliated him and then I walked into him as if he wasn't even there... I made a lousy start to his new year.”

“That's no excuse for snapping at you. There was no need to be rude, if anyone deserves to be snapped at by him it's Sorelli. She's the one who made him look stupid.” Meg teased and Sorelli stuck out her tongue childishly.

“I'm just going to go to bed... Happy New Year.” Christine retreated to the comfort of her own bedroom and her friends could only sit back on the sofa and watch. The cloud of shame loomed over Christine as she tried to get comfortable in her little bed. Unbeknownst to her friends, Erik had somewhat been an idol of hers back when he was in the music industry. In fact her miserable shell of a bedroom was plastered in posters from his album. His handsome face smiled down at her from all angles in the posters. The feeling of his eyes burning into her conscience made her heart deflate. She hadn't recognised him with the mask on, she hadn't known that he was the Erik Dubois. The musical prodigy turned architect. He was part of the reason she had pursued this internship and not only did he dislike her but he found her unattractive?! It had not been her utmost intention to seduce Erik but still it stung that he, her teenage celebrity crush, could call her ugly without a second thought. He was so much prouder than she had imagined, Christine was more than aware that celebrities were not as saintly as they tried to appear but to have her dreams shattered in such a manner... That was unbearable. If it wasn't for the contract she had signed, she would have left that night – not that she had a home to go back to any more.

Dubois architecture firm made sure that every worker had a place to stay; happy employees meant more productivity. Although it made Christine feel as though she was at university again living in a dorm. But at least the rent was affordable and her flatmates – Meg and Sorelli – weren't too bad. At least that was the mantra she spoon-fed herself. Tomorrow marked the beginning of her internship and she honestly could not wait to push aside the mess of that evening. Why did it always have to be at least a tad messy? Why couldn't it have just gone right for once? Because she was Christine Daaé – a world renowned recluse. The product of a lonely childhood and a lack of social skills. Even Christine found herself pathetic at times. But all she could think about was that poor man she had just insulted. She didn't even care if he was technically her boss or that he was famous, she still was consumed by guilt. Christine knew how it felt to be ignored and she had gone and made someone else experience that agony. Even if it was unintentional, the guilt remained.

Sleep was but a mere dream now, it would be a waste of time to pursue it now that her mind remained wide awake. She sat up and examined her surroundings, the white walls formed a perfect rectangular cage around her. Her duvet chained her to her bed with nothing but her pillow for company. That contract was making her believe she was a prisoner in the home of a fraud. Maybe it was a bit of a stretch to call Erik a fraud but she felt mislead. In all of his books, interviews and CDs he seemed so friendly and down to Earth, she had been sold a blatant lie. Her guilt evolved into anger. She wasn't a huge fan of Erik's but her papa had been a huge Dubois fan before his illness consumed him so Christine had adopted his love for Erik's music as a way of keeping her father alive in some capacity. Not only had Erik deceived her and the media but he had also made a fool of her father.

Christine came to a decision in that moment. She wasn't going to stand by and let that billionaire leech off of her emotions. This meant war. Was this dramatic? Yes. Definitely. But did he deserve to be told off for being rude? Of course. She bet no one ever told him off, everyone was probably too busy trying to get on his good side. Christine wanted to prove him wrong. No one called her ugly and got away with it that easily.

A plan of revenge formed within her mind: seduce him and then crush his heart the way he had crushed hers. This made the guilt return. Why was she angry with him? He was just telling the truth. She was ugly... It was also rude to walk into people... Her confidence depleted and she curled up underneath the duvet. She wouldn't walk into her first day at the office and make a fool of herself by wearing something revealing. Christine had more class than that. Perhaps making him pay by breaking his heart was cruel and terribly unrealistic. She was going to be an intern, nothing more than that. The chances of a rich man such as him even turning up to run his company were slim to none. Even then, he probably wouldn't notice an intern. But at least she could wear something nice and have the confidence that she looked pretty.

She climbed out of bed and stared at her reflection in the mirror that hung on the back of her door. Her eyes blinked back at her, a stray golden curl falling across her round face. Meg had once told her she looked similar to an owl and she wasn't sure that she should trust something Meg had said whilst she was that drunk. But she saw it as a compliment; owls were wise creatures and she liked to think that at least she had her intelligence to fall back on.

The Christine in the mirror scowled back at her, she was being vain and she hated that. So it was back to her usual dosage of self loathing and back to bed. She knew her value didn't lie with her looks. But instead her value was in where her hard work had gotten her. This internship was highly sought after. Candidates were chosen by Erik himself. Though that begged the question, did he really dislike her that much already if he had hand-selected her for this internship?


	2. A Happy New Year?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christine begins her new job as an intern and has a surprise meeting with her boss.

Her alarm clock didn't even have to croak out one beep that fateful morning, she was already awake and ready to start the new day. After a good scrub in the shower and a nutritious breakfast of cereal bars, it was time to get herself ready. She donned a white blouse that was tight in certain regions to accentuate her waist among other things; she just had to look her absolute best for him and for herself. Christine desired to look pretty, if that gorgeous claret gown of hers had failed to work last night then she would have to be more adventurous. A short black pencil skirt and a pair of sensible black heels completed her professional look. She curled her hair and pinned half of it up out of her face before applying a coat of foundation to hide acne scars and mascara onto her long but blonde eyelashes. There. It was done. She felt miles more confident already – she would definitely be in need of that confidence today.

“Wow Chris, you look hot...” Meg complimented as Christine stepped out of the apartment, she blew a kiss at her friend before making her way to the office – which fortunately was nearby. Baltic winter air slapped her across the cheeks and she pulled her blue woollen coat around herself more, retreating into the shell of its warmth. She was greeted by a receptionist who took her to go see the man in charge. Apparently, Mr Dubois gave all his interns a quick briefing to welcome them to the company. Although Christine knew it was just a publicity stunt for a good reputation.

“Come in.” she heard the rich baritone voice say when she reached the door of his office.

She obliged and entered as she was told, his figure imposed upon the room with a large presence. He was stood in front of a painting on the wall, examining it closely.

“Miss Daaé-” he began but was stopped before he could finish, he had made a grave mistake. Erik Dubois had made the fatal error of turning to face his newest employee, his swollen lips parted as he bathed in her utter beauty. The amber in his eyes seemed to glow in the dimly lit subterranean office as he scanned her form whilst Christine's arms tucked around her little frame.

“Yes, sir?” she squeaked ever so sweetly.

He paused and returned back to the safety of staring at the painting, “Welcome to Dubois architecture, my name is Erik Dubois and I am the head boss here. I like to make a point of meeting all of my employees at least once. Please, take a seat.” he gestured to the chair across from his at the mahogany desk in the centre of the room. Similar to earlier, she felt obliged to comply.

“I'm so sorry about last night!” she blurted, his head turned sharply to face her. A long sigh left his lips as he took a seat in his overly comfortable leather chair.

“It's okay. I don't want to start on the wrong foot. I apologize for snapping, I did not come to that party of my own volition so I was rather grumpy.” he explained, his eyes fixated on his slender fingers as they fidgeted with a life of their own.

It shocked her a little bit. A large CEO and well-known musician was apologizing to her? She giggled nervously, “That's such a coincidence – I didn't want to be there either. My friends Sorelli and Meg dragged me there. I don't get out much.” words were leaving her mouth before she could even control them.

His guard lowered a little and he too chuckled, “Neither do I. I take back what I said, you're not ugly.”

She was unsure on how to reply to that so a change in subject was in order, “I love your music, it meant a lot to my papa. He was a big fan of yours. I still have all of his copies of your CDs and books.” she admitted.

He raised an eyebrow although she obviously couldn't see through the black porcelain of his ,ask, “Was? Is he not a fan any more after I insulted his daughter?”

Christine's eyes darted to her own hands in her lap, “He passed away three years ago, sir.”

Regret surged through his veins, “Oh my God! I apologize! My condolences to you Miss Daaé... I'm glad to hear that at least my music brought him some joy.”

“Yes, he loved your albums. I still remember lining up outside the local music shop at midnight with him to get a copy of one of your CDs on release day.” she laughed again only this time it was more genuine than that giggle of nerves and it was safe to say that he enjoyed her laugh thoroughly.

“Oh? Really? You flatter me Miss Daaé but my career in music is long behind me.”

“How come you chose to be an architect?”

“It was always a passion of mine, after a while even I got sick of music.” he lied.

She clasped a hand over her mouth, “I'm sorry! I shouldn't have pried or got this off-topic!”

He chuckled again, his new employee was rather skittish but he found it oddly adorable, “Not to worry, now let me run you through your responsibilities... But first I must explain this.” he tapped the porcelain mask with his index finger, “I was deformed at birth. All those pictures of me are heavily, and I mean heavily, edited using Photoshop. The mask has become a piece of urban legend in this company. But I assure you, it is not a problem.”

A lump formed in her throat, Erik Dubois was becoming more and more of a fraud by the minute but she could not bring herself to criticise his choice. If she could find a way to look perfect to the public she would do it too. They were all human after all. Honestly, she pitied him. She recalled the bullying she had to endure as a child at school but she was certain that it would be at least ten times worse for a child who was deformed. Children were cruel and it didn't get much better in adulthood either. The bullying just became more smart and well-hidden.

Their conversation continued well past its best before date. He was an interesting man and an opportunity to be graced in the presence of such genius was seldom. If he had allowed it, she would have easily talked with him for hours. The sentiment was most definitely returned, Erik was warming up to his intern. She was a breath of fresh air compared to his sorry lot of older employees. An hour later there was a knock on the door accompanied by an insufferable voice, “Mr Dubois!” she crooned.

“Ah! It seems we've been talking longer than I first anticipated, Miss Daaé... This is my secretary, Carlotta. Carlotta you can come in!” he called.

This was Christine's cue to leave apparently so she stood up when an overbearingly gorgeous woman entered Erik's office. Her tight red dress didn't hide anything and it clung to her curves nicely. The neckline revealed generous cleavage leaving Christine feeling rather put out and overshadowed. Christine was horribly mistaken. It wasn't the dress she wore last night that he had found ugly but her...

“Erik, André and Firman are waiting for you...” she cooed as she leaned in to give him a less than chaste kiss. Triumphantly, Carlotta settled on his lap and preceded to make a show of making out with her boss?

Christine alternated her weight between her two feet as she looked anywhere and everywhere except at the “happy couple”.

Erik broke away, “Carla not here, we have company.” he chided.

Carlotta turned her attention to Christine in mock horror, “Oh! I didn't see you there!” she cooed dramatically. It was easy to deduce that Carlotta was not the most gifted actress in the world when her voice was as fake as her breasts.

“Well I'll be on my way, Meg and Sorelli will be waiting to teach me the ropes. It was really nice to meet you properly this time.” she edged out of the room to avoid Carlotta's possessive gaze.

“Erik who was that!?” she demanded.

“That was my new intern.”

“Why was she here talking to you for over an hour? It's quickly become the gossip of the business... You know how bad that sounds right? Little young intern in office with boss unsupervised with no security cameras. Maybe next time you should be less selfish I don't want you to ruin my reputation. I am your girlfriend. Don't flirt with the interns.” she spat before jumping off his lap as if it was the last place she wanted to be.

“Carla-”

“You're lucky I'm even dating you.” she slammed the door on her way out.

Meanwhile Christine was making coffees for the meeting when Meg appeared out of thin air, “Soooooo... Someone is already the talk of the office on their first day...” she teased.

Christine opened an overhead cabinet to get out mugs and to block out Meg from her peripheral vision, “He apologized for last night and we talked about his music career.”

“Is that all you were doing in his office Chrissy?” Sorelli chipped in.

“Oh my gosh! Yes! We did not do the dirty, get busy or whatever you want to call it!” she exclaimed as she carried the mugs to the meeting room where Erik was sat at the head of the table addressing the heads of finance and the design department.

Firman took care of the books whereas André was in charge of the building designs. Christine was trembling with nerves from the tense atmosphere but one small yet discrete smile from Erik and she immediately regained some confidence at least. “Thank you, Christine.” Erik greeted politely, the other two men nodded their thanks and she left the room.

The days rolled on and by her second week, she was competent with her role of doing everyone else's dirty business. But she couldn't complain. Although it sounded mundane, she liked following everyone's orders. It was much easier than having to use initiative. Every morning it was her task to bring Mr Dubois his cup of coffee – no milk but three sugars. His office was below ground but she was well acquainted with it by now. The red walls and Persian rug were extremely familiar as she greeted them every day with a smile on her face. For once, things were running smoothly; she kept to herself mainly to avoid trouble.

“Christine? A word please.” sneered the ever glamorous Carlotta.

“Yes?”

“You are aware that I am currently involved with Mr Dubois, yes?”

“Of course.” she bit back all of the snide comments she had been preparing to retort with, of course she knew. Carlotta had pretty much been kissing his poor face off.

“Well make sure you remember that. I wouldn't want to have to report you to human resources, would I?” she strut off leaving Christine more confused than ever. Did Carlotta see her as competition? Well the office primma Donna had nothing to worry about.

Christine was not competition for the heart of Erik Dubois for three reasons: he was her boss, he was dating Carlotta and she was most certainly not good enough for a man of his callibur. A celebrity like him should not be involved with meagre creatures such as herself. She wouldn't even waste her time entertaining such idiotic thoughts like that. Christine would on break her heart if she did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have too much free time at the moment so here is another chapter! I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Erik isn't too bad is he? Carlotta is not a great girlfriend but we'll see how that works out....
> 
> Thankyou for reading!  
> -KayKitten


	3. A Firecracker and her Temper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rumours of Christine and Erik swarm around the office bringing some things to an end...

Quickly, a daily routine had been established: go to work, bring Erik coffee, do people's work, make Erik yet another coffee (by this point she was sure he had a caffeine addiction) and then she had to do everyone's photocopying. Erik had started to want more coffee at the beginning of January, she wondered if the chill of winter was keeping him up later as he did seem a lot more exhausted than she usually expected for him. But then again, he did own a multi-billion pound company...

One morning she had found him asleep at his desk with his face resting on his arms, she resisted all of the temptation to remove his mask. As much as she longed to see the face of such a prodigy, she wasn't going to intrude on his privacy like that. Especially when he had the power to fire her on the spot and evict her from her dorm. Instead, she opted to wrap his coat around his shoulders to keep him warm amidst the cold that seemed to radiated from all of his office walls.

When he eventually woke up with his coat draped ever so carefully around his shoulders, he knew it had been Christine. Carlotta would have yelled at him to wake him up and any of his other employees would have just left him in fear. It was blatantly apparent to Erik that all of his employees were either terrified of him of intimidated by his sheer height and the presence he brought to a room. But not her. He could sense that she resented him slightly – not that she ever said anything – but she showed him a great deal of respect. More respect than Carlotta had ever given him and she was his girlfriend...

That evening it all came to fruition. A conclusion. On his way out of the office, Carlotta marched up to him, her hair a mess and mascara dripping down her face. “HOW DARE YOU!?” she screamed as she raised her hand against him, slapping him hard across the face. “YOU PATHETIC MAN!” she continued with her screaming and another blow was dealt to his face yet he stood motionless, unsure of what to do.

He tilted his head questioningly, his bottom lip stuck out in a pout.

“You slept with her didn't you!? Steve from the marketing department saw you with her in your office! This is the final straw Dubois. The final straw. We are through. FUCK YOU!” she yelled and she gave his face one final slap only this time, his mask fell due to the sheer force with which she slapped him. The porcelain fluttered to the ground before smashing just like his heart. The perfect end to their not so perfect relationship. He had loved her, he had adored her and worshipped her but it was not enough for Carlotta. It never was. She always wanted more. More and more and more and he couldn't take it any more. They stood there, he towered over her staring blankly. She had been prepared to fight him to refuse him but he wasn't even arguing back or denying it. That was what stung Carlotta the most. Erik's emotionless yet grotesque face staring at her like a kicked puppy. All of the employees who had been so merrily going home for a weekend of fun paused to stare at the pair. The hundreds of pairs of eyes burnt into Erik's skull as they drank in the sight of such a monstrous face. He had no nose, his transparent skin was pulled taught against his skull like face, veins clear to see.

“I-I... I didn't... I would never... Erik would never...” he whimpered as he took a step backwards, recoiling from her gaze of pure hatred.

Nadir stepped forwards in between the pair, “Hey, Erik... Lets get you sat down somewhere. Erm...” he glanced around at the crowd scanning the faces to find someone to escort Erik away while he dealt with Carlotta. As it would happen, Christine happened to be walking by, he grabbed her wrist carefully. “Miss Daaé would you please escort Erik to the meeting room?” he phrased it as a request nut she could not say no. She nodded and beckoned for Erik to follow her, she hadn't noticed that he was mask-less yet.

The primma Donna's eyes glinted green with jealousy when Christine came into sight. “See!? He obviously cheated on me!” she accused. Christine was extremely confused but she bit her tongue. Nadir clenched his fists and stepped forwards to tower over Carlotta.

“Go home Carlotta. In fact go home for the whole of this week. You are suspended temporarily. This is gross misconduct. I don't give a damn about your relationship with Erik. This is work and you should not be dragging your personal life into this office! You have caused so much damage already. I could not care less about how much money your family has. It makes no difference. You are extremely fortunate that I am even letting you stay here!” he lectured.

Carlotta sashayed off angrily but she did not yield, Nadir may have won the battle but he had not won the war.

It was only when they were both safely inside the meeting room that she turned around and saw his face. The colour drained from her cheeks and her eyes were lowered towards the carpet as if it were the most interesting thing in the room.

“Is there anything I can-”

“No. Not from you. I don't want your sympathy. I don't want another person to look at me like I'm a charity case.” he spat.

She furrowed her brow, “Here we go again. The defensive train is at the station. Erik I'm not going to hurt you. I don't pity you. I'm trying to be your friend. But I suppose it was foolish of me to believe that someone with your ego would want to be friends with a stupid and ugly girl like me.” she retorted before turning sharply on her heel to leave him to brood. With his cat-like reflexes, he caught her wrist.

Her gaze shifted from his hand to his eyes, “Please... Please stay... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... It's- It's all my fault!” his voice got gradually more choked up and her heart bled for him as he began to cry. This is definitely not what she envisioned happening but she would just have to deal with it.

“Erik it isn't your fault. I don't know why she did what she did but I doubt it was you that caused it.”

“She thinks I slept with you...” he sobbed.

Christine's stomach did a flip, “She what!?”. He opened his mouth to repeat himself but she shook her head, “I'm sorry I guess I just can't believe that she would think that. You are my boss and that is highly inappropriate. If anything I would much rather be your friend because you need one right now.”

She reached out and gave him a hug, her hand stroking his hair to attempt to comfort him at least a little bit. His hands trembled but he hesitantly returned her embrace and leaned his head into her hand. Christine closed her eyes and smiled, “It's all going to be okay. Do you live with her?” she asked.

He shook his head, no he did not. At one point he had asked her to move in but apparently his house was much too small for her. Looking back, that was a huge red flag but Carlotta had been the only woman to ever look at him in the eyes without being petrified. That was until Christine came along.

Nadir found the pair embracing each other and blood rushed to his cheeks; he cleared his throat. Christine jolted and pulled away, “Oh! Nadir! How did it go?”

“Carlotta is suspended for next week for gross misconduct. Am I interrupting something here?” he drawled.

One murderous look from Erik and the colour of Christine's cheeks said otherwise and that matter was cleared up swiftly. “Nadir? What am I going to do? When Carlotta comes back she will murder me... She warned me not to be around Erik. I was a threat to your relationship apparently...”

“If she so much as gives you a dirty look she will be fired.” Erik interjected, their eyes met and she gave him a small smile.

“Thank you...” she trailed off and looked down at her watch, “Oh dang! I have date in half an hour! I've got to go!” she exclaimed. Christine picked up her handbag and dashed out of the office. Rain poured from the heavens as her feet carried her as quickly as they could. Erik could only watch from the window as she ran from him, one of his hands rested on the glass as if he was reaching out for her. Nadir raised an eyebrow but he did not comment.

“Lets go out and get drunk. I know of a great pub, it's called Gaston's.” he suggested, he placed an arm around Erik's shoulders to guide him out to the car park. He may as well try to ease his friend's suffering. Perhaps a night of getting drunk may be what he needed to relax and get over Carlotta. Nadir had always had a distaste for the woman. He could never stand her and how she mistreated Erik. She was always telling him that he wasn't good enough. That he was lucky to have her. Nadir was secretly glad that Erik and Carlotta's relationship had ended. It was so toxic that even being near them may pollute rivers.

Meanwhile, Christine hurriedly took a shower not even letting the hot water soothe her. She couldn't let Sorelli down, she had organised this date for her and Christine was going to be grateful and put in as much effort as she could. This time she donned a blue 1950's housewife style dress, the neckline gave a nice show of cleavage and the short skirt also left little to the imagination but the style of the dress was overall very innocent making it appear less risqué. She dowsed herself in her signature rose perfume and she was ready. There was a knock at the door and a grin spread across her face, he was here. Christine had been looking forward to this all week. She was ready to make her debut in his eyes. Meg and Sorelli swarmed outside her door, in unisons they wolf-whistled at their friend so Christine gave them a twirl and a curtsy. She opened the door and beamed at her date. “Hello there!” she greeted warmly. He flashed her movie star grin and she felt herself swoon, tonight's date at the Gaston pub was going to be very pleasurable for Christine hopefully. She was on the arm of her prince charming and she could forget all about the trauma of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoah! Two chapters in a day! I'm admittedly rather proud of the progress of this fic. If you didn't hate Carlotta before you will by now. Christine is a very good friend isn't she?
> 
> Thank you for reading!  
> -KayKitten


	4. A Forest of Envy

Raoul de Chagny, the poster boy for his family's business, offered his arm for her to take. With a slight moment of hesitation, Christine accepted his advance, the security of walking beside a man who looked like he had walked straight out of a superhero movie was unbelievable. Even as they passed the unlit streets, she felt a semblance of safety – a coveted feeling for a woman like her.

“Was this building built by your company?”, he would question every so often on the way to the pub and Christine would giggle every time without a question. The reek of alcohol permeated the walls of the pub and the sounds of drunken laughter reverberated down the mostly empty street. A few older gentlemen smoking glanced up at the young couple on their way inside the establishment. Raoul held the door open for Christine and the rowdy building fell silent. Christine felt herself become more aware of herself and what she was wearing as stares blazed onto every portion of skin she had exposed.

A place at the bar was free and so she sat on one of the stools, her feet not quite touching the ground. “Do you remember me, little Lotte?” he drawled.

“How could I forget I was friends with a Vitcomte?” Christine's small giggle drove Raoul insane.

“It's sure been a while, I didn't know you were living with Sorelli?”

“Well, things have changed Raoul. I'm no longer a child and I needed work so an internship at the city's most popular business didn't seem like a bad option.”

“Most popular? Chris, I believe you mean second most popular.” Raoul flirted.

Christine glanced down at her hands, “I'm sorry, I forgot your family's company was a rival...”

“No!” he cut her off, “No need to apologize. I've missed you Chris, I really have.”

A silence fell between the two and Christine observed their surroundings. Danger. This place had a foul odour of danger. Of testosterone. Of alcohol. She felt her mind spin out of control.

“Christine? Are you quite alright?” she heard Raoul's voice in amongst the throng of drunks and the obnoxiously loud pop music blaring from the speakers.

She rubbed her clammy palms on the midnight blue material of her dress, “I'm fine thank you Raoul... I just need to go... powder my nose?” that was the best excuse she could come up with when she made her way to the toilets.

Christine grasped at the sink and stared herself down in the mirror. _Get a grip. You've been here barely five minutes and you're already overwhelmed. Get a grip._ Her eyelids closed, drawing a cloak of peaceful darkness about her until the lively opening notes of “I wanna dance with somebody” permeated through the thin walls. Instinctively, her body gravitated towards the music, luring her out of sanctuary of the women's toilets. She wasn't paying attention to her surroundings and she stumbled across Nadir who steadied her and gave her trustworthy smile, “Hey, what brings you here?” he questioned.

One glance over at Raoul was sufficient to answer his question, “Ah, a date?”

“Yup!” she exclaimed brightly.

The climax of the song built up and the floor cleared for people to dance together, drunken figures swaying together to the beat of the song, at one with the music in a not so graceful way. Before she could open her mouth to ask him about her boss, someone had taken her hand and pulled her away from Nadir. She spun around to see Mr. Dubois holding her hand and the blood rushed to her face, “Sir!” she whimpered.

“Dance with me Miss Daaé.” he instructed although it seemed like a plea.

She shrugged, deciding it would do him some good at least after the disaster of today “Okay, sir.”

Despite him being clearly drunk, he was still able to hold onto her waist and twirl her around the makeshift dance floor. Christine was completely intoxicated by the music and the joy of dancing with somebody. So intoxicated that only Nadir noticed Raoul's green-eyed stare and the small army of empty glasses at his side.

Christine gazed up to look into the deep holes in Mr Dubois' mask, she couldn't quite place a label on the emotion she saw there in his amber eyes. The eyes that glowed in the dim light of the room, the eyes that haunted her darkest dreams and adorned each of her bedroom walls. With each passing note of the song, he drew closer to her. His face was growing ever so near, his honey glazed eyes darted down to her lips and he advanced further when his little employee began to close the distance. The music and the dream faded simultaneously. Raoul shoved Erik off of his date carelessly, “Hey get your ugly mitts off!” he spat.

A crowd of vultures surrounded the trio, prepared to gather any scraps of gossip.

“And who are you?” Erik demanded.

“De Chagny. Raoul de Chagny, more specifically I'm Christine's date. And what's the name of the man I'm about to beat into the ground?”

All Christine could do was stand and watch in horror as Mr. Dubois' fists clenched, “I'm Erik Dubois and I practically built this town so if you'll excuse me.” he attempted in vain to brush past Raoul but the younger man had other ideas. Nadir caught Raoul's fist mid-swing.

“I'll have to ask you not to do that.” he gritted his teeth.

*

“Raoul why did you have to do that? He was going to leave!” she blurted, outside the door to her apartment. So close to freedom at last.

“Because only I get to kiss you, my little Lotte...” he leaned in and she pushed him away with a shove to the chest.

“You're drunk.” she interjected, “Good night.”

Christine made sure to pull the apartment door closed behind her before he could put his foot in the door. She sank to her knees and curled up in a ball with her back against the door and her head in her hands.

“You really are a disaster, Daaé!” Meg snorted.

Sorelli extended her hands to Christine and pulled her up, “Please tell me you didn't break my friend's heart?”

“Oh trust me, I did not. That pig... I was friends with him as a child but we lost touch as people do. Ugh... We went to the pub; talked for a while and then I messed it all up.”

“What did you do Chrissy?” Jammes cooed from her seat on the sofa.

“Mr Dubois was there – which honestly makes sense with what happened today... Anyway! We danced together and Raoul got jealous and tried to punch him.”

The three other women burst into fits of laughter, “Chrissy? You've got two men fighting for your heart and it's not even Valentine's day yet!” Meg exclaimed and at that, Christine joined in with their laughter. She could see the humour in her situation but it did niggle at her.

Erik Dubois had tried to kiss her.

*

“I can't believe you did that!”

“Why not? How was I supposed to know she was on a date?”

“Well why would a woman be alone at a pub like that!?”

“I don't know! To meet scoundrels like me!?” Erik countered sarcastically.

Nadir rubbed his eyes, “Erik I wasn't referring to why you danced with her. The more important question is why did you try and kiss her?”

“Good night, Nadir.” Erik exited his friend's apartment prematurely leaving his question unanswered.

  
Why had he done it? He wasn't too sure really. It had felt right? He was taking her up on her offer of a kiss when they first met at that fateful party? He was developing feelings? No. He refused to even entertain the last notion. He was being too kind on himself. He was letting Christine Daaé waltz straight into his chest and seize his beating heart. No!

Erik flung his porcelain mask onto his leather sofa as he entered his home. An unholy meow of indignation was what he was met with when his cat scampered up to him. Her silver coat gleaming in the moonlight that poured into the hallway from the symmetrical windows aligned on the visage of his home.

That night he tossed and turned restlessly, each time he closed his eyes all he could see was _her_... They'd known each other barely a month but his newest employee was leaving quite the impression on him. Now that he thought about it, no one treated him the way she did. But one question lingered: was she only being nice to him because she was his employee? No. Not again. He couldn't allow himself to think like this. Optimism got him nowhere in life except from in a cage.


	5. A double confrontation

Unlike every other morning, Christine's alarm clock had to croak out its insessant beeps because she did not awake on her own. Nothing in the world could make her wake up willingly. The day began as any other Monday would: she ate breakfast, brushed her teeth, got ready and left the apartment to make it in early enough to have her boss' coffee on his desk all ready for him when he arrived. Perhaps she should have woken up even earlier so as to avoid catching him that morning?

Hindsight was a wonderful thing, it truly was. No copious amount of her favourite tea could have prepared her for that morning.

“Sir!” she squeaked, he was already there at his desk. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, this was quite remarkable for him.

“Miss Daaé. Please take a seat.” he ordered.

She did as he said and pulled her pencil skirt down modestly as far as it would go.

“I apologize for what happened on Friday... That was inappropriate of me. I should not have assumed you'd be single and I shouldn't have even done what I did. I am your boss. It is wrong for us to stray from our professional relationship.”

Christine caught her plump bottom lip between her teeth to prevent it wobbling, her knees felt like jelly. She looked like a school girl being scolded.

“Please don't apologize, sir. It is all my fault. I thought we were friends, but I suppose a man like you shouldn't be associated with scum like me. It's just business after all.” she replied bitterly. Christine did not wait for him to excuse her.

*

Christine went through a whole box of tissues that night. It hurt so much... She couldn't say she regretted what she said, he had been so cold. But she also couldn't say she thought he deserved it.

Of course her flatmates were thrilled with what she said, she had been congratulated and heralded beyond belief for putting him in his place.

She had broken the wheel of her daily routine. While she remained civil for the sake of keeping her job, she did not engage in any unnecessary discussion with him. Their usual after work conversations halted alltogether.

“Good night, sir.”

“Good night Christine.”

Three simple words and he made them tortuous for her to listen to. While she did not regret her words, he obviously did. According to all those around her, he often gave her longing looks when her back was turned, not that she believed her coworkers.

Valentine's day was fast approaching and Christine wished the day would never come because she did not want to spend the night in her apartment alone while her friends were all going out on dates, she would surely never hear the end of that.

For some reason, she got all dolled up for the day of love and it made her feel at least a bit more confident than she had been before. She strutted in to work with her head held high, only this confidence evaporated upon seeing what lay on Mr Dubois' desk. Christine eyed the red envelope with suspicion, it was addressed to her so she took it and replaced it with the steaming cup of coffee in her hand. It wasn't until her lunch break when she finally opened the card and a handsome cheque fell out for £1000. Her eyes scanned the inside of the card that read “Dear Miss Daaé, I'm deeply sorry for what I said. I hope we can make up. Love from Erik.” Something inside her snapped. Was having her dignity taken away not enough for him? Was he seriously going to try and buy her? She marched up to his office and slammed the cheque down on the table.

“My friendship will not be bought!” she exclaimed.

His eyes widened at her outburst but they narrowed soon after, “Well at least I'm trying to make it up to you!”

“Well it's insulting!”

“It's not that much-”

“Not that much! Not that much! Maybe it isn't much to you but it is to me! Do you even know what I have to put up with on a daily basis?!”

“Oh because having rumours spread about you screwing your boss is worse than everyone fearing you!” he countered, sarcasm dripping from his tongue.

“Perhaps there's a reason everybody fears you! That mask isn't exactly a friendly welcoming sign!”

“Well what do you propose I do? Walk around like this!?” he yanked his mask off and she flinched.

“As your friend I can honestly say that I prefer you without the mask.”

“What?!”

“I can see what you're thinking when you're not covered by a piece of porcelain-”

He approached her until they were only inches apart, “No one... No one has ever said that to me before...”

Their eyes met and she leaned upwards in a trance-like motion, his slender fingers cupped her chin and gently encouraged her to move her head upwards towards his.

“ERIK!” Christine pulled away from her boss in a startled movement due to that shrill scream of his name, her head turned to see Carlotta stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips, leaning forwards towards them.

“Carlotta. What do you want?” he demanded.

“No one speaks to me like that-”

“Well I just did.” he gave her the finger and she stormed off in a huff, ready to enact some obsurd plot of revenge.

However, unbeknownst to the office diva, she had just killed the mood entirely and Christine's defenses rushed back up.

“I should go... That was inappropriate of me-” she turned to leave and he reached out a hand to draw her back in but it was too late. She was out of his grasp. His hand remained there, hovering over the ghost of where she had been. “Christine...” he uttered under his breath, a prayer to summon his intern back to him.

*

The comforting blindness of burying her face into her pillow was what got Christine through the night. As much as she tried not to, she couldn't remove the thoughts of what had happened between them. In trying to maintain a healthy distance, they had inadvertedly brought themselves physically and mentally together. That brief disagreement had answered many questions. Despite all that had transpired, there was a sense of catharsis.

In fact Erik began replaying her comforting words again and again. Someone accepted him. Finally someone genuinely wanted to be around him even though he lacked a nose or any real substance to his face. To put it nicely, his face was just as messy as him.

No matter what he thought about, it somehow relayed back to Christine and how her lips had looked when he was about to... He couldn't even allow himself to entertain the possibility of her returning his sentiment.

Oh how the tables turned the next Monday. She was already in his office with his coffee, although she had a hard to read look on her face.

“Sir, I'm quitting.”

“No you're not.”

“Yes! I am! Don't assume you know me because you definitely do not!”  
“Is this about what I think it is?” he drawled.

She gave him a mildly disgusted look, “Of course it is! I don't know how many interns you have used but I refuse to be one of them.”

Christine turned around to see his expression become akin to one of a kicked puppy, “I'm not that heartless. Yes, I dated Carlotta but we met before I was her boss and I have never engaged in such frivellous affairs! Not when I have so much to lose!”

“Oh because a failed music career and a business publicity stunt are really so much!” she quipped back.

“Get out.” he ground his teeth together.

“No. While I refused to be used, I will not be insulted like this. Can we not have a grown up discussion like real adults? I can't continue working here if this is going to carry on.” she gestured to herself and then to him.

He let out all of the rising tension from within his lungs and collapsed into his chair, “I don't talk about my feelings.” he said simply.

“I'm not your therapist. I just want to know the truth...”

“The truth?” he gulped as he readjusted his mask, it was getting a bit too wet from the amount he was sweating.

“Apparently, according to my colleagues you're always looking at me. Whenever you say something I'm always the first person you look at, you're checking my reaction. Erik I look naïve but I'm not stupid...”

“What does this mean?” he dared to ask.

Immediately, her demeanor changed and she drew herself into herself more, “Erik... Some people have suggested.... I- Erik do you have a crush on me?”


	6. Devil in Disguise

He took a step back and rubbed the back of his neck as he turned around to evade that gaze of hers. “No. Why would I? You're just a little intern.”  
Blood rushed to her cheeks as she realised she had nothing to hope about, they had all lied to her.  
“Oh... I'm sorry I shouldn't have assumed...” she felt so stupid, she didn't want to look vain for thinking everyone was in love with her.   
“It's alright.” he chuckled nervously to fill that painful silence between them both.  
“Goodbye, sir.” she managed to mutter on her way out.  
The loss of the scent of her rose perfume was a relief to Erik, what had he done? 

He'd destroyed Christine. Whenever she saw him nowadays, she didn't even give him a greeting and he felt like even more of a monster. She didn't even give him that amount of civility. 

Christine's reflection stared back at her as she applied her eyeliner, the lyrics of “You don't own me” eminated from her CD player. Her bin was full of scrunched up tissues that contained the ghosts of her tears. When she was satisfied, she pulled the skirt of her red bodycon dress down. She never wore things like this but this was war and it was both her armour and weapon.

Eyes hit her form as she strutted into the work party with some level of confidence. She felt so deliciously her. The male attention wasn't even what was making her feel so good. Christine looked hot and she knew it, her roommates had told her so. The party was a belated Valentine's celebration for the employees, a cheap morale booster to make productivity skyrocket. She had no doubt that her little plan was going to work, she was going to make him regret what he said. A little intern? Well she would make him take it back. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted her target sipping at a glass of some alcoholic drink. But first, Christine bathed in the attention, revelled in the feeling of being seen. Her whole life, she had been overlooked. But not now. She wasn't invisible anymore.  
“Nice haircut, Chris!” Jenny from accounts said as she walked by and Christine's hand shot up to feel her shorter hair. It may look old fashioned but she thought she looked better now that she had the hair of some 50's pinup girl. Gone were the days of her long curls spiralling down her back in a perfect cascade. 

“Hello sir...” she cooed as she passed him.  
His reaction was all she could have hoped for and more. His jaw hit the floor, “Beautiful...” he uttered subconsciously, “I mean, hey Miss Daaé...” he corrected.  
She smirked, “Well I wouldn't want you to waste your time on a little intern.” she placed index finger on his chest and ran it along the expanse of his chest while she walked off flirtatiously.  
“Miss Da-” he began but she rested her fingers on his bloated lips.

Sorelli beckoned for Christine to return to them so she did just that. “Chris- were you flirting with the boss?!”  
“Of course not...” she joked.  
Meg giggled, “Well you certainly left an impression. Just look at the poor man, he didn't stand a chance with you.”  
Christine shrugged, “I did manage to bring up the fact he called me “just a little intern”.”  
Her friends cackled, “Oh my God!”  
“If you'll excuse me ladies, I'm gonna go get me some numbers.” this was so unlike her.  
Typically, she didn't even touch her phone to call other people. But tonight was her night. Though she knew that the only number she wanted was his. She flaunted herself like a peacock in its prime, preening her feathers and dancing with at least a dozen men. This was more for her than anything. Seducing her boss was a side effect, she just wanted to feel good about herself for once and she felt as if she were on fire. 

Suddenly, she felt like a spider caught in her own web when her boss approached her, tugging his mask to make sure as much of his face was covered. “Having fun?”  
“Of course I am.”   
“That's a lot of numbers there...” he pointed at the scraps of paper in her open clutch bag.  
“It's rude to look in a woman's bag.” she teased as she closed it.  
“Oh I'm terribly sorry...” he drawled.  
“What's wrong with me having so many people interested in me? I'm single and it seems men are queuing up for a dance. It's not like I have a partner.”  
“Just be careful. You don't want to get burnt by the fire you're playing with.”  
She scowled, “I can handle myself perfectly well. Thank you very much.”  
“Do want to dance or do I have to wait?”  
“You're lucky I was a great fan of your music... Come on.” she stood up, handing her bag to Jammes who was standing nearby.   
Of course they had to play Michael Buble music, it was a Valentine's party, was it not? They ended up dancing to a song that perfectly encompassed her mood: “I'm feeling good”. The swing music was perfect to dance to. Christine placed her hands on his shoulders and watched as the other potential interests got on their hackles. The game was pretty much won already if even their boss was dancing with her. Nobody could tell him to stop. Nobody would dare to. His hands cupped her waist as they made their round of the floor. Only this time, Christine did not lose herself in the music. When the music faded out and they all ground to a halt, he leaned down for a kiss only this time instead of falling under his spell, she placed her hand over his mouth and sauntered off leaving him dumbfounded, staring at her in awe. She had just refused him. Christine walked away the victor, she wasn't going to let him always have his way. He needed to be taught a lesson.

Meg, Jammes and Sorelli heralded their friend when she returned to them and they left together, Christine cast one final glance at her boss before retreating with her commrades. He met her eyes before turning around towards the drink table that was winking at him. 

“Christine! We're so proud of you!” they chorused in the car.   
“For breaking his heart?”  
“For putting him in his place. My God you should have seen his face!” Sorelli giggled as she parked in front of the building.  
“I don't know... Now I'm having second thoughts about it all...” she muttered.  
Meg cupped her face in her hands, “Chris. He tried to kiss you multiple times but doesn't have feelings for you. We all know what he would have done had you continued.”  
“Lets all face it. He would have used you.” Jammes said.  
“I don't know... I mean I used to be friends with him and we would always talk for hours after work. I don't think he's like that...”  
“Trust me, we all remember that. But still, he's your boss. It looks wrong if you have an affair with him. That power dynamic isn't healthy.” Sorelli spoke reasonably, “Now lets all stop thinking about that and just bask in the success!” she cheered and the other women cheered too. All except Christine. The image of his poor face as she had walked away... It was engraved into her eyelids, a constant reminder of what she had done to him. 

As the facade fell and she washed the makeup off, she was met with the truth. Although he had been awful and said things that were insulting, she had just embarrassed him in front of all of his employees.

“Erik Dubois' new sweetheart!” was the headline of the first tabloid she spotted on her way into work the following Monday. She picked up the publication and glared at the photograph with her placing her finger on his lips. The article detailed how she was his intern and their age gap, as well as how she even got the internship. She had been handpicked by him and the article alluded that she was sleeping her way up to the top. A hand rested on her shoulder and she glanced down at the vivid red nail polish neatly painted onto each claw of the hand, “It's all everyone has been talking about this morning, hun. My father's newspapers have a lot influence after all.” Carlotta cackled.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for giving this a chance! Hopefully, I will be able to get a chapter out at least once a week but this may change as I have big exams in a few months. Erik is not the dashing gentleman he should be is he? Christine is over-dramatic but that is warranted given how excited she must have been to meet Erik. Any criticisms would be much appreciated.
> 
> Thankyou!  
> \- KayKitten


End file.
